rebuttal
Americannoun
-
rebuttals
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of rebuttal
Explanation
When two people debate, one of them makes an argument, and the other follows with a rebuttal, which, plainly put, is the "No, you're wrong, and this is why" argument. We often associate rebuttals with arguments made in the courtroom or public debates that occur around election time, but the word can really apply to any situation in which an argument is put forth and someone disagrees and explains why. Sports fans, for instance, like to argue about the likely winner of an upcoming game, and when you make a case for why your friend is wrong, you are offering a rebuttal of his argument.
Vocabulary lists containing rebuttal
Argumentative Writing
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The AP English Exam: Rhetorical and Literary Terms 1
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Rhetoric
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The rebuttal by the Iranian foreign ministry follows Trump saying he had held off launching new strikes on the Islamic republic to allow for further diplomatic efforts, a familiar pattern in the conflict.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
If you wanted a rebuttal to the whole argument, there it was, in government ink.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Syrskiy on Monday said he was surprised to hear Fedorov’s account, posting a lengthy rebuttal where he defended his record.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
The Daily Wire published a rebuttal to one particular argument about the bullet’s trajectory.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026
Varney said this smiling, but he was driving in nails now, attacking deep and hard, sensing that the man in front of him could not even blink an eye in rebuttal.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
I can imagine diehard Green Lantern fans firing up their rebuttals as they read this.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
If the board accepts the latest application, it will review public comment and rebuttals in the coming months before making a decision sometime in 2027.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
After critics blamed lobbyists for Slater’s ouster, Davis posted several rebuttals External link on X.
From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 2026
They could clearly hear his ideas, and he was surrounded by other young people on all sides of the political landscape - an environment that often produced explosive viral videos of his exchanges and rebuttals.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2025
No matter how good a person’s rebuttals are, nothing matters if the person is living in a whole different reality.
From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
